cruisejourno Posted April 8, 2008 #1 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I'm due to travel on the CB 04/13 and was wondering if anybody else's kids struggle to stay awake after 8pm in the kids club - especially with jet lag from the U.K? I'd love to use the kids club and have a nice quiet (possibly romantic!) dinner with hubbie, but I know they really don't cope well with late nights. The only other alternative is putting them to bed at their usual time and then being confined to the cabin for the rest of the evening ourselves.. Does anybody use baby monitors in instances like this, or risk going up to dinner with regular checks on the cabin, or just use the kids club anyway and brave tired, fractious kids the next day? Comments welcome! (my children are aged nine, seven and five). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenonacruise Posted April 8, 2008 #2 Share Posted April 8, 2008 If they have trouble staying awake they can curl up in a corner of the kids club and fall asleep. I don't think baby moniters would work on the ship. I would not leave my kids alone in the room even with bed checks. Way to much could happen. My suggestion is to leave them in the kids club and take an early dinner you never know they might have so much fun at the club that you can't drag them away from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whale-watcher Posted April 8, 2008 #3 Share Posted April 8, 2008 That is why we always cruise with a balcony...when the kids were young, it was nice to have the option to have a quiet evening with DW out on the balcony while the kids slept in the cabin. I personally would not have been comfortable leaving young kids alone in the cabin... As for the kids sleeping in a corner of the kids club area...the staff has always called us in the evening when our youngest appeared tired and ready for bed, so I would not count on this as an option; in all liklihood, they will have so much to do in the evenings they will have now problems staying awake once they adjust to the time change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted April 8, 2008 #4 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Baby monitors wont work for you to leave the kids in a cabin and you are out and about. Some barely work from next door. I agree- leave them in the camp and let them fall asleep there. Jsut let the counselor know whats going on. Kids might surprise you and be so interested in whats going on in the camp that they wont be asleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
we2cruze Posted April 8, 2008 #5 Share Posted April 8, 2008 It could be that after a day or so your kids will adjust to the time change and schedule and be able to stay happily awake for awhile in the evenings. You also could try having a rest late in the afternoon to help them stay up longer in the evening. I would not feel comfortable leaving my children alone in the room. What if something were to happen? My youngest always gets very tired on cruises... late nights, busy days, sun and swimming all add up to one tired little boy. We usually try to get back to the room by 9:45 or 10 pm... just after the early show. It may help also if everyone sleeps in just a bit in the morning. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare karatemom2 Posted April 8, 2008 #6 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Bedtime does present a dilemma for parents traveling with children but I would say that your children are far too young to be left in the cabin unsupervised. Our kids were 5 and 10 on our first cruise and I worried about bedtime as well, but once onboard they were so excited by all the fun and activities, they seemed to be able to stay up later and function on less sleep. You might be surprised by the level of energy your kids will be able to maintain when they want to enjoy their friends and fun in the club. I'm attaching a recent thread from the Family Board that addresses this very issue. It has some helpful advice and hopefully will help alleviate some of your concerns. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=743312 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneharborlady Posted April 8, 2008 #7 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Please dont leave them alone in the cabin. If something happened, you would never forgive yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PescadoAmarillo Posted April 8, 2008 #8 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Please dont leave them alone in the cabin. If something happened, you would never forgive yourself. Ditto, 1000 times over. The question, when asked, made me immediately think of Madeleine McCann (perish the thought). When she went missing, the consensus in my circle of friends is that none of us could, in our wildest dreams, imagine leaving our sleeping children unattended in a resort bedroom. A cruise ship cabin is no different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwlillie Posted April 8, 2008 #9 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I don't mean to sound hostile here in any way. But, considering that this would be the first night of what I assume would be a 7-night or longer cruise, being worried about if you would have a relaxing long romantic dinner is pressing the issue. Especially considering that your husband and yourself will be suffering from the same jetlag. If you really want to ensure the "slight" possibility of a romantic dinner based upon these circumstances, you might consider either the ultimate balcony dinner (if the cruiseline does it on the first night), or an early dinner at one of the alternate restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strummer Posted April 8, 2008 #10 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I wouldn't worry too much as its amazing how quick kids seem to cope with jet lag - on our last cruise I was still getting up at 6am every day because of the jet lag but after a couple of days my son had adjusted completely. Are you staying overnight in Miami beforehand? If so after the first night onboard they will prob be fine. The younger ones may also have a nap in between kid club hours as kids club is 9-12, 2-5 & 7-10. Kids club in the evening has so many things going on that even kids who don't usually stay up seem to manage really well. All kids are different but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you getting that romantic meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bplazo Posted April 8, 2008 #11 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I would never leave children in a cabin by themselves. A short nap before dinner might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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